The College and Career
Library Presents:

Cyber Bullying:
Information and Resources

Cyberbullying Information and Resources for
Research Papers, Reports, Essays, and Speeches

Bullying has been around for ages throughout most countries. It seems like most people have some memory of a bully intimidating or making fun of them. For many, bullying happened at school, but it can happen anytime in one's life. With the advancements in communication technology in the past decade or two, there have been tremendous positive outcomes. However, with this new technology comes serious issues. One of those serious issues is cyberbullying. Bullies can now take their harassment to a whole new level and stir up many more emotions among their victims than ever before. Many bullies have now become cyber bullies.

There are, at least, two schools of thought when it comes to cyber bullying. Some people think that cyber bullying is just a form of harmless schoolyard bullying that most people have to endure as a kind of rite of passage. People feel that you just deal with it and get over it. However, more and more people are coming to the realization that cyber bullying is much more harmful than old schoolyard antics. The nature of new technology, such as the Internet, allow cyber bullies to intimidate their victims on a scale that children, parents, school officials, and government are struggling to understand and solve.

There is some very good information on cyber bullying in the form of books, magazine articles, journal articles, and newspaper articles. Much of this information can be found in a library or on the World Wide Web.

If all you have to do is write an essay, give an informative report, or present a speech on cyber bullying, then you should find it kind of easy. There is enough information, cyber bullying statistics, and opinions on this subject.

If you have to take some stand on this issue in the form of a persuasive/argumentative paper / essay or speech (pros and cons), then you might have an easier time arguing that cyber bullying is a serious offense and should be prosecuted as a crime.

It is possible to argue that cyber bullying is not really all THAT serious, and should not be considered a crime. Educating the bully rather than using the legal system is the way to go to solve cyber bullying. There are First Amendment rights to consider when dealing with the topic of cyber bullying.

Another popular topic to debate is whether cyber bullying is worse than traditional bullying. There is enough information available to support both sides of this debate, too.

Following are resources that can help you find information on cyber bullying. There is a variety of information on what cyber bullying is, statistics on cyber bullying, examples and methods of cyber bullying, cyber bullying laws and legislation, true-life stories, and a profile of cyber bullies.

We feature thesis statements, outlines, and lists of sources for finding information in books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and websites. Please SCROLL DOWN THIS LONG WEB PAGE or use these two links:

Cyber Bullying IS a Crime and the Legal System Should Treat Cyber Bullying Accordingly

The following is an example of an introductory statement that includes a thesis statement.

Bullying has been around for ages throughout most countries. It seems like most people have some memory of a bully intimidating or making fun of them. For many, bullying happened at school, but it can happen anytime in one's life. Many positive changes have affected our lives thanks to the information and technology explosion. However, there have been some negative consequences of the rapid expansion of the Internet and communication technology. One of those alarming issues is a new form of bullying called cyber bullying. Like bullying, many people feel that cyber bullying is not a big deal. Many feel that it is a normal part of life that people just need to deal with the best that they can. However, cyber bullying is something that should concern everyone. Cyber bullies use ruthless tactics and cyber bullying should be considered a crime because it is a form of harassment that causes victims to suffer feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, humiliation, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. (We put the thesis statement in bold for instructional purposes to indicate to you what a thesis statement looks like).

An example of a possible outline could look something like this:

I. INTRODUCTION

II. DEFINE CYBER BULLYING

A. Denigration

B. Flaming

C. Impersonation

D. Outing

III. EFFECTS OF CYBER BULLYING

IV. PROFILE OF CYBER BULLY

V. LEGALITIES OF CYBER BULLYING

VI. CONCLUSION

Here are some aspects of cyber bullying that you may want to consider if you want to argue that cyber bullying is very serious and should be treated by the judicial system as a serious crime:

Cyber bullying is very harmful. Depending on how long of paper or speech that you need to give, you can spend quite a bit of time on this part of cyber bullying. To say that cyber bullying creates some stress is a gross understatement. There are plenty of stories/cases where young people have committed suicide because of cyber bullying. Cyber bullying IS a very serious matter.

You can spend some time on the different methods that cyber bullies use to humiliate their victims. There are stories/cases that you can write/talk about that include cyber bullying techniques such as flaming, denigration, impersonation, and outing.

The Federal Government and individual states have enacted some legislation and they are interested in passing more. You can pick and choose which legislation to cover depending on length of report or speech.

There is advice available on how to protect yourself from cyber bullies. There are tips for parents and school officials on what to do to solve cyber bullying. However, some of this advice might counter your argument that cyber bullying should be treated as a crime, so be careful on how much of this advice that you give in your report or speech.

List of Resources

Although text may look differently on different computers and tablets, we have attempted to cite all books and periodical articles according to MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 2009, 7th edition. Some of the following sources can be found online for free, but if you use the online source, you will have to cite the source as an ONLINE source UNLESS your professor allows you to cite the online source as a PRINT source/citation. The final authority on how you cite something in your paper is YOUR TEACHER. Please remember to double-space citation and use "hanging indentation."

Books

These two authors are well-known for their literature and studies on cyberbullying. This book covers A LOT, including statistics, tools used by bullies, effects of cyberbullying, methods that can be used to deal with cyberbullying, and legal issues. This book, as well as Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age, are two excellent books that cover just about everything that you need in order to write a lengthy paper or give a long speech on the topic of cyberbullying.

This is an EXCELLENT book on the subject of cyber bullying. If all you need is one source for information to help you write an informative report/research paper on cyber bullying then this book is all that you may need. Just some of the aspects of cyber bullying covered in this book are: plenty of statistics; general profile of bullies and victims; various methods of harassment; summary of research studies; methods of prevention and solutions for students, parents, educators, and legislators; and laws and policies. There are some true stories of victims spread throughout the book.

Once again, Patchin and Hinduja team up to provide a comprehensive look at the major issues that teachers, school administrators, counselors, social workers, and parents need to be aware of with respect to cyberbullying identification, prevention, and response.

Person, RL. Cyber Bullying is a Crime and the Legal System Should Treat Cyber Bullying Accordingly.

We know how difficult it is to write a research paper, or essay. We know that many, many students need examples and samples of papers and essays in order to understand how to write a research paper. A LOT of students need a lot of help and it may not be easy to find that help. This ebook presents all of the information on this web page and presents a five-page research paper based on the information presented on this web page. The paper provides thesis statement, body, conclusion and works cited page. It is an instructional guide that includes the sample essay. The persuasive paper argues that cyber bullying is a crime and the justice system is the solution to stopping cyber bullying. Kindle and other tablets do not handle html code well so much of the needed MLA format of the paper and citation will not be formatted corrected on Kindle or a tablet. HOWEVER, a link to a PDF file is presented within the ebook that you can click on to see the PDF file with proper MLA formatting. The PDF file has a tendency to lock in proper spacing, indentation, and more. It is up to you if you want to spend the 99 cents for downloading this instructional guide with the sample five-page research paper. It is an option. The instructional paper is similar to attempts to help students like the sample MLA paper that can be found on Purdue's Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20091250615234_747.pdf

Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying,Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age, and Cyberbullying Prevention and Response: Expert Perspectives are VERY helpful books that cover most of the issues associated with cyber bullying. If your local library does not have these books or they cannot interlibrary loan the books, these books are available at Amazon.com.

Journal and Magazine Articles

Conn, Kathleen. "Cyberbullying and other Student Technology Misuses in K-12 American Schools:

the Legal Landmines." Widener Law Review 16.1 (2010): 89-100. Print.

This ten-page scholarly journal article covers the different perspectives on the legal issues involving cyberbullying. Enacting legislation on cyberbullying may not be easy and this article does a good job of covering the legal concerns of many people. This article can be found in print form or online at http://widenerlawreview.org/files/2011/02/03-CONN_final.pdf.

In this March 2009 journal article, Feinberg and Robey defines cyberbullying and the consequences of cyberbullying. Schools struggle with what to do about cyberbullying as this can "undermine school climate, interfere with victims' school functioning, and put some students at risk for serious mental health and safety problems." A number of suggestions are given on what schools can do to help teach students and prevent cyberbullying.

Jennifer covers a variety of topics about cyberbullying. She writes about the case (true story) of cyberbullying used on Phoebe Prince. The legalities of freedom of speech balanced against harassment/harm create problems for many people in authority on what to do in order to handle cyberbullying. A 2009 study from Common Sense Media found that parents nationally underestimate children's use of social networking sites and often are unaware of how they are used. Thirty-seven percent of students, for example, admitted they'd made fun of a peer online, but only 18% of parents thought their child would do so." Although, the First Amendment is seen as a big concern when legislators think about enacting laws against cyberbullying, this article provides this interesting quote "We have the Second Amendment right to possess weapons, but that doesn't mean we allow children to bring guns to school." Basically, there are limits to what we can do. Examples and suggestions are given on what some organizations are doing to prevent and solve cyberbullying.

“Researchers and practitioners are still in the initial stages of charting the path to understand and treat victims, perpetrators, and bystanders of cyber bullying. Although research on traditional bullying provides a useful starting point, it is important to recognize that cyber bullying is not the same thing as traditional bullying and that the individuals involved in the 2 types of bullying are not necessarily the same group of people. The effects of cyber bullying are serious and, in some instances, life-threatening. Given the frequency with which youths are engaged with technology, psychologists and psychiatrists need to be alert to the possibility that their patients may be targets, perpetrators, or bystanders of cyber bullying.”

This scholarly journal article (over 30 pages) in the December 2010 issue of Federal Communications Law Journal offers A LOT of information on cyberbullying law and cyberbullying events/cases that helped bring attention to cyberbullying. This article can provide information on both sides of the criminalization argument. However, the last few pages emphasizes education over criminalization as prevention/punishment for cyberbullying. If you need to write a lot of pages for a paper, then this article can supply plenty of information and ideas to help you fill up the essay.

Neiman, Samantha, Brandon Robers, and Simone Robers. “Bullying: A State of Affairs.”

Journal of Law & Education 41.4 (2012): 603-648. Print.

This October 2012 scholarly journal article is an EXCELLENT 46-page article. If you need to add more information to your paper then this would be a great place to look. “This article focuses on bullying in schools in the U.S. Topics include the rate of suicide among students that have been bullied, the use of Internet in bullying, and the effectiveness of state statutory bullying laws. Information is provided on the prevention of bullying through intervention and educational programs, why bullying varies between states in the U.S., and the definition of bullying behavior. It is noted that cyber-bullying remains one of the most common forms of bullying in the U.S. in 2012.” If your library does not have this article, then please ask them if they can interlibrary loan the article for you, for free. A majority of libraries within the United States have some form of free interlibrary loan service.

This October 2009 scholarly research study examined four forms of school bullying behaviors among U.S. adolescents and their association with socio-demographic characteristics, parental support, and friends. This IS a scholarly research article, so there are plenty of statistics. Here is an excerpt from part of the conclusion: "Findings indicate high prevalence rates of having bullied others or having been bullied at school for at least once in the last 2 months: 20.8% physically, 53.6% verbally, 51.4% socially, or 13.6% electronically. After categorizing respondents into four categories (bullies, victims, bully-victims, and non-involved), we found that adolescents with higher parental support reported less involvement in all four forms of bullying while having more friends was associated with more bullying (bullies) and less victimization (victims or bullying-victims) in physical, verbal, and relational forms, but this was not the case for cyber bullying. Socio-demographic differences in bullying varied across the four different forms." This article can be found on line, for FREE, at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2751860/?tool=pubmed.

The citation for accessing this article on the Web would be slightly different than if you retrieved the article from the publication in print form.

School Library Journal is a well-respected educational magazine. A variety of topics about cyberbullying are covered in this October 2011 issue. Many people have questions on whether traditional bullying is worse than cyberbullying. There are a number of aspects of cyberbullying covered in this issue that helps show that cyberbullying may be worse than traditional bullying. For one reason, “while no one can deny the emotional and physical scars schoolyard bullies leave behind, many agree the constant pounding that takes place in cyberspace can be even more damaging to children, especially the collective bullying experience that digital mobs often create on social networking sites.” Another paragraph within this article states that “a study by the National Institutes of Health says that compared to traditional bullying victims, students targeted by cyberbullies (who may not identify themselves) feel more hopeless and depressed, as well as isolated, dehumanized, and helpless at the time of an attack.” Some information is provided about a number of specific victims of cyberbullying. A considerable amount of information is provided about possible solutions. This EXCELLENT article can be found for free, ONLINE at: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/891922-312/the_bully_in_the_backpack.html.csp

Cyberbullying Research Center at http://www.cyberbullying.us/will provide a variety of articles and resources covering identification; prevention; effects of cyberbullying such as low self-esteem, humiliation, suicide; legislation; social networks; and statistics.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) published, in 2008, Electronic Media and Youth Violence: A CDC Issue Brief for Educators and Caregivers that focuses on the phenomena of electronic aggression (cyber bullying). Electronic aggression is defined as "any kind of harassment or bullying that occurs through email, chat rooms, instant messaging, websites, blogs, or text messaging." The brief summarizes what is known about young people and electronic aggression, provides strategies for addressing the issue with young people, and discusses the implications for school staff, education policy makers, and parents and caregivers. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/EA-brief-a.pdf

The Journal of Adolescent Health has a number of scholarly journal articles in its 2007 supplement available online, FOR FREE. There are some very good, credible cyberbullying articles (PDF format) located at http://jahonline.org/content/suppl07.

WHOA (Working to Halt Online Abuse) "is a volunteer organization founded in 1997 to fight online harassment through education of the general public, education of law enforcement personnel, and empowerment of victims." Although WHOA covers a variety of online abuse, there is some helpful information on the website about cyber bullying including some statistics on cyber bullying at http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/stats/index.shtml.

Cyber Bullying: Education Rather than Criminalization is the Answer to Cyber Bullying.

Following is an example of an introductory paragraph, including the thesis statement, for this perspective on cyber bullying:

Some people feel that cyber bullying is no big deal. Cyber bullying is not all that different than the bullying that most people are subjected to in the schoolyard which is kind of a childhood rite of passage. However, there are many people who know that cyber bullying is a serious matter, but they believe that education rather than the judicial system is the proper way to solve the problem. Cyber bullying is a serious matter, but it should not be considered a crime. Educating those involved by teaching the bully the effects of his/her actions, showing teachers how to handle bullies, and teaching parents and children what to do about cyber bullying is the correct way to solve cyber bullying. (We put the thesis statement in bold for instructional purposes to give you an idea of what a thesis statement looks like).

Here is a possible outline for a research paper that is stressing that cyber bullying IS a problem, but it is NOT a judicial problem. There are alternatives to solving cyber bullying than prosecuting the perpetrator:

I. INTRODUCTION

II. DEFINE CYBER BULLYING

A. Denigration

B. Flaming

C. Impersonation

D. Outing

III. EFFECTS OF CYBER BULLYING

IV. LEGALITIES OF CYBER BULLYING

V. WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

VI. WHAT THE SCHOOLS CAN DO

VII. WHAT GOVERNMENTS CAN DO

VIII. CONCLUSION

Here are some aspects of cyber bullying that you may want to consider if you want to argue that cyber bullying should not be a crime. Education rather than criminalization is the way to go:

Cyber bullying is no different than the traditional bullying that most people were subjected to as a child in the schoolyard. Almost no one would think of prosecuting childhood bullies, so no one should think about prosecuting childhood cyber bullies.

You can write pages on the different methods that bullies can use to bully fellow children. You can mention the use of the Internet and cell phones to apply bullying techniques such as flaming, denigration, impersonation, and outing, to name just a few.

It is possible to admit that cyber bullying is a problem by writing about the variety of emotions and students (actual stories/cases) who are victims of cyber bullies. However, when mentioning the harm that cyber bullies do, keep in mind that education is the preferred plan of "treatment" for cyber bullies. You may need to be careful because it is possible to mention enough facts that would make people think that maybe the judicial system IS the way to go for punishing cyber bullies.

The legalities can be confusing, but this is one area where you can fill up a number of pages for a research paper. Basically, prosecuting cyber bullies can be seen as a violation of the First Amendment's freedom of speech. There are concerns about a person's individual rights. However, a number of states have enacted bullying and cyber bullying legislation. Information about a variety of cyber bullying laws are available.

There are a number of things that teenagers, parents, and schools can do to help fight cyber bullying. Case law such as Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District and the case of Bethel v. Fraser indicate that schools can discipline children if children's speech/actions constitute a threat, is lewd and vulgar, or disrupts school activities and interferes with the rights of other students. Schools have the right to "teach" what is right and wrong when it comes to cyber bullying and respect the rights of their fellow human beings.

List of Resources

Although text may look differently on different computers and tablets, we have attempted to cite all books and periodical articles according to MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 2009, 7th edition. Some of the following sources can be found online for free, but if you use the online source, you will have to cite the source as an ONLINE source UNLESS your professor allows you to cite the online source as a PRINT source/citation. The final authority on how you cite something in your paper is YOUR TEACHER. Please remember to double-space citation and use "hanging indentation."

Books

These two authors are well-known for their literature and studies on cyberbullying. This book covers A LOT, including statistics, tools used by bullies, effects of cyberbullying, methods that can be used to deal with cyberbullying, and legal issues. This book, as well as Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age, are two excellent books that cover just about everything you need in order to write a lengthy paper or give a long speech on the topic of cyberbullying.

This is an EXCELLENT book on the subject of cyber bullying. If all you need is one source for information to help you write an informative report/research paper on cyber bullying then this book might be all that you need. Just some of the aspects of cyber bullying covered in this book are: plenty of statistics; general profile of bullies and victims; various methods of harassment; summary of research studies, methods of prevention and solutions for students, parents, educators, and legislators; and laws and policies. There are some true stories of victims of cyber bullying spread throughout the book.

Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying and Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age are two very helpful books that cover most of the issues associated with cyber bullying. If your local library does not have these books or they cannot interlibrary loan the books, these books are available at Amazon.com.

Journal and Magazine Articles

In this March 2009 journal article, Feinberg and Robey defines cyberbullying and the consequences of cyberbullying. Schools struggle with what to do about cyberbullying as this can "undermine school climate, interfere with victims' school functioning, and put some students at risk for serious mental health and safety problems." The last few pages of this article cover what schools, students, and parents can do about cyberbullying.

Jennifer covers a variety of topics about cyberbullying. She writes about the case (true story) of cyberbullying used on Phoebe Prince. The legalities of freedom of speech balanced against harassment/harm create problems for many people in authority on what to do in order to handle cyberbullying. A 2009 study from Common Sense Media found that parents nationally underestimate children's use of social networking sites and often are unaware of how they are used. Thirty-seven percent of students, for example, admitted they'd made fun of a peer online, but only 18% of parents thought their child would do so." Although, the First Amendment is seen as a big concern when legislators think about enacting laws against cyberbullying, this article provides this interesting quote "We have the Second Amendment right to possess weapons, but that doesn't mean we allow children to bring guns to school." Basically, there are limits to what we can do. Examples and suggestions are given on what some organizations are doing to prevent and solve cyberbullying. There is enough information in this article to help support that parents and schools need to be taught how to deal with cyber bullies. Education is the answer. One technique is the "Method of Shared Concern, which involves all parties - the bullies, the victim, and the bystanders -- in examining and addressing conflicts." Examples and suggestions are given on what some organizations and school districts are doing to prevent and solve cyberbullying.

This scholarly journal article (over 30 pages) in the December 2010 issue of Federal Communications Law Journal offers A LOT of information on cyberbullying law and cyberbullying events/cases that helped bring attention to cyberbullying. This article can provide information on both sides of the criminalization argument. This is an excellent article for a couple of reasons. Many teachers LOVE students to use and cite scholarly journal articles like this one. Another reason that this article is very good is that the last few pages of information support the use of "prevention through education." Overall, this article gives plenty of information that helps emphasize education over criminalization as a prevention/punishment for cyberbullying. If you need to write a lot of pages for your paper, then this article can supply plenty of information and ideas to help you fill up the research paper.

Neiman, Samantha, Brandon Robers, and Simone Robers. “Bullying: A State of Affairs.”

Journal of Law & Education 41.4 (2012): 603-648. Print.

This October 2012 scholarly journal article is an EXCELLENT 46-page article. If you need to add more information to your paper then this would be a great place to look. “This article focuses on bullying in schools in the U.S. Topics include the rate of suicide among students that have been bullied, the use of Internet in bullying, and the effectiveness of state statutory bullying laws. Information is provided on the prevention of bullying through intervention and educational programs, why bullying varies between states in the U.S., and the definition of bullying behavior. It is noted that cyber-bullying remains one of the most common forms of bullying in the U.S. in 2012.” If your library does not have this article, then please ask them if they can interlibrary loan the article for you, for free. A majority of libraries within the United States have some form of free interlibrary loan service.

School Library Journal is a well-respected educational magazine. A variety of topics about cyberbullying are covered in this October 2011 issue. Many people have questions on whether traditional bullying is worse than cyberbullying. There are a number of aspects of cyberbullying covered in this issue that helps show that cyberbullying may be worse than traditional bullying. For one reason, “while no one can deny the emotional and physical scars schoolyard bullies leave behind, many agree the constant pounding that takes place in cyberspace can be even more damaging to children, especially the collective bullying experience that digital mobs often create on social networking sites.” Another paragraph within this article states that “a study by the National Institutes of Health says that compared to traditional bullying victims, students targeted by cyberbullies (who may not identify themselves) feel more hopeless and depressed, as well as isolated, dehumanized, and helpless at the time of an attack.” Some information is provided about a number of specific victims of cyberbullying. A considerable amount of information is provided about possible solutions. This EXCELLENT article can be found for free, ONLINE at: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/891922-312/the_bully_in_the_backpack.html.csp

Online Resources/Websites

Cyberbullying Research Center at http://www.cyberbullying.us/ will provide a variety of articles and resources covering identification; prevention; effects of cyberbullying such as low self-esteem, humiliation, suicide; legislation; social networks; and statistics.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) published in 2008 the Electronic Media and Youth Violence: A CDC Issue Brief for Educators and Caregivers that focuses on the phenomena of electronic aggression (cyber bullying). Electronic aggression is defined as "any kind of harassment or bullying that occurs through email, chat rooms, instant messaging, websites, blogs, or text messaging." The brief summarizes what is known about young people and electronic aggression, provides strategies for addressing the issue with young people, and discusses the implications for school staff, education policy makers, and parents and caregivers. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/EA-brief-a.pdf

The Journal of Adolescent Health has a number of scholarly journal articles in its 2007 supplement available online, FOR FREE. There are some very good, credible cyber bullying articles (PDF format) at http://jahonline.org/content/suppl07

WHOA (Working to Halt Online Abuse) "is a volunteer organization founded in 1997 to fight online harassment through education of the general public, education of law enforcement personnel, and empowerment of victims." Although WHOA covers a variety of online abuse, there is some helpful information on the website about cyber bullying including some statistics on cyber bullying at http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/stats/index.shtml.

"Cyber Bullying: Information and Resources." The College and Career Library.

30 Mar. 2013. Web. Date that you accessed the web page such as 30 March 2013

Double-space the lines. Use hanging indentation with the second line (if needed) and is indented about 7 spaces. The title of the web page is "Cyber Bullying: Information and Resources". There is no official author so place the title first and in quotes as seen above. The official website is called The College and Career Library and is placed in ITALICS. 6 August 2011 is when the web page was created. However, the website was UPDATED March 30, 2013. The word Web means that you accessed the information on the World Wide Web. After the word Web, type the date that you accessed the web page, such as 30 March 2013.